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Your Wedding
Hosting weddings here on the farm grew from a desire to share something special. Our beautiful natural setting, comfortable farmstay accommodation and warm, welcoming team make it a natural place to bring people together. Cherish the simplicity and delight in nature's abundance. A unique wedding venue in Hawke's Bay, close to both Taupo and Napier, where memories for life are made and shared.
Designed for celebrations in every season, Mohaka River Farm offers flexible rain-or-shine options with wedding packages starting at $7,000 through to multi-night wedding experiences.
Indoor and outdoor seating, a well equipped commercial kitchen, a wood-fired pizza oven, ample parking, and a handcrafted covered timber pavilion are just a few of the special features available. Marquees can also be arranged, although they are rarely needed thanks to the covered spaces already onsite.
The venue is best suited to weddings of around 80-100 guests but can easily be adjusted for smaller weddings with extra space for mixing, mingling and dancing! Our lodgings can accommodate about 20 guests in 8 different units including our new cottage and chalets. Renovations and upgrading of our A-frame chalets and the restroom facilities are underway and due to be completed mid-December 2026. Additionally, we have a spacious campground with beautiful views for the more adventurous.
"The lengths that Mohaka River Farm went to ensure our wedding day was seamless were truly remarkable. They worked closely with us for every detail and went above and beyond to communicate with me and answer every little question we had. They collaborated closely with us to arrange accommodations for all our nearest family and friends, ensuring everyone felt at home and welcome. Our guests still comment on how it was the most wholesome weekend away!"
The Jordans, 2025
Wedding Collections
Mohaka River Farm is much more than a wedding venue in Hawke's Bay. We offer a range of unique outdoor experiences, crafts and farmstay accommodation to guests of the region from all over the world, every day. Creating authentic, magically memorable experiences is what we aspire to do each and every time someone takes the time to visit us here.
The Full Experience
NZD 14,000 with optional add-ons available (up to 100 invitees)
Get up to 4 days’ exclusive Lodge hire and up to 3 nights' accommodation in our 8 units - sleeps up to 20 guests depending upon sleeping arrangements - as well as complimentary guest camping for up to 80 guests for the night of the wedding.
As part of this collection, your guests will be welcomed with refreshments at the Lodge upon arrival. The bridal party and groomsmen will be pampered with delicious fare as they get ready for the ceremony, and on the day following the wedding, we provide a customised gourmet brunch send-off for on-site guests. Savoury or sweet! This all encompassing package includes:
- Exclusive Lodge hire (up to 4 days) including use of our well-equipped commercial kitchen, outdoor wood-fired pizza oven, outdoor braziers and outdoor undercover seating, hot drinks station, and comfortable lounge.
- Set up for indoor or outdoor wedding, up to 100 guests with sound system.
- Up to 3 nights' accommodation in our 8 units (sleeps up to 20 guests depending upon sleeping arrangements), as well as complimentary guest camping for up to 80 guests.
- As part of this collection, your guests will be welcomed with refreshments at the Lodge upon arrival, the bridal and groomsmen party will be pampered with delicious fare as they are getting ready for the ceremony, and on the day following the wedding, we provide a gourmet waffle brunch sendoff for onsite guests.
See Add Ons below for more information on recommended Caterers for your Wedding reception or for other meals.
THE SHARED ESCAPE
NZD 11,000 with optional add ons available (up to 100 invitees)
Designed for shorter and more intimate celebrations, this flexible 3-day exclusive lodge hire includes 2 nights’ accommodation for up to 20 guests, depending upon sleeping arrangements. Camping available for 80 guests.
MID WEEK CELEBRATION
NZD 7,000 with optional add-ons available (up to 100 invitees)
Includes 2 days' use of Lodge and 1 night accommodation for up to 20 guests (camping not included), as well as set up for your wedding. Available on select Tuesdays and Wednesdays, talk to us about this simple yet special option.
ADD-ONS
We’re here to serve you and make sure you and your guests have an amazing time. If you can imagine it, we can explore it - so just ask!
Catering for the Reception or other meals, as well as wait staff, is at an additional cost. Depending on what you have in mind, we can provide menu options and quotes.
Please note we are not a licensed premises and as a family friendly venue, we request all BYO consumed in the lodge be limited to beer and wine/champagne.
Professional flower arranging and photography, special signage for your event, and an original watercolour guest book painting are a few of the special touches you can add to your package.
Enjoy a bonfire by the riverside and sizzle some sausages and marshmallows, or we’ll help you fire up the pizza oven, provide the ingredients and you can have a go at making and cooking your own pizzas.
For more information on classes and horse treks see our Experiences page.
And remember, all the fun doesn’t have to happen before the wedding. After sending off the bride and groom, why not use this beautiful location as a place to connect with friends and extended family. Stay on a couple of days, take a horse trek, sign up for a class, and relax!
For a more detailed wedding planning brochure, or to request a call from one of our wedding planners, send us a message via the button below.
FRIENDS & FAMILY ACTIVITIES
Perhaps the ladies might gather for high tea and a pottery class where they create hand etched sgraffito pottery. Meanwhile, the men might take a knife making course followed by a riverside bonfire sausage sizzle. Group horse treks across this beautiful property are also an option for creating memories around your wedding.
Married on the banks of the beautiful Mohaka River. Late autumn, 2026.
Mohaka River Farm is far more than just a place to get married. As one of the premier experience providers in Hawke's Bay, we know how to create authentic, unforgettable celebrations with unique onsite activities and adventures for you and your guests.
From horse trekking, fly fishing, hunting and backcountry helicopter trips to pottery, watercolour painting, cheese making and stargazing, we can help you build a wedding experience unlike anything else. With ample accommodation there’s space and time to turn your wedding into a full weekend (or longer) of connection, celebration, hen and stag events, or family gatherings.
We work in partnership with experienced local helicopter operators and have access to remote areas for hunting and fishing or for bush walks and soaking in hot pools. Among the team here at Mohaka River Farm include experienced, qualified fly fishing and hunting guides. We can arrange helicopter trips into the backcountry for world-class fly fishing, overnight horse treks on a nearby high-country station, and even pre-wedding hunting trips to source venison for your wedding feast. We're very happy to help create unique experiences tailored to your wedding group.
A scenic trek on the farm and the neighbouring property is a wonderful way to relax and fully appreciate the spectacular scenery.
This 2-bedroom cottage is our newest addition to our accommodation. It's handmade from Hawke's Bay grown timber with help from our sister company Heritage Timbercraft who build their timber frame homes right here on the farm. Inside is a cozy fireplace, a settler style kitchen and lovely soft new linen. There's a nifty Weber barbecue on the verandah which is super easy to use if you're in the mood for barbecuing. And it's just a short walk to the lodge and chalets both (they're all within 100 metres of each other, and about 500 metres to the river where you can swim, fish, eat wild blackberries, read a book or just lay down and relax to the sound of Tui and bellbirds).
If you'd like to take a closer look at the cottage and chalets visit our accommodation page.
Renovations to our A-frames are underway, with reopening expected in mid-December 2026. We considered replacing them with new chalets, but decided their charm, comfort and affordability were worth preserving. With a dedicated renovation programme thanks in part to our sister company Heritage Timbercraft, we're aiming to not just restore their former glory, but exceed it.
We're also replacing the rather dated outdoor bathroom block with comfortable, modern facilities, conveniently located a lot closer to the A-frames. Once complete, the accommodation will offer a comfortable three-star experience, with what we think are five-star views!
The lower-right section of the map shows where all the wedding facilities are located, with everything comfortably within walking distance. The newly renovated lodge sits at the heart of it all, with guest accommodation, dining areas and our riverside wedding setting all within 600 metres of the lodge. Couples can exchange vows beside the Mohaka River, with outdoor seating for guests, while nearby riverside picnic/barbecue areas provide lovely spaces to relax and enjoy the surroundings.
Get the brochure
To know more about having your wedding here, get the guide - download it below.
More than a wedding venue: combine unique experiences while you are here.
Our Team
Our people are our strength - caring, thoughtful professionals equally at home guiding a horse trek, leading a fishing trip, teaching pottery or knife making, or planning and catering your wedding celebration with genuine care and expertise. Learn more about the team here at Mohaka River Farm here.
Ash
Kelvin
Tammy & Pete
Wilson
Becky & Abi
Zara
Boone
Drop in, have a look
The best way to see if Mohaka River Farm is where you want to get married is to come and visit. Take your time exploring the grounds, facilities, and atmosphere, and ask any questions you may have. Ash, Tammy, Pete and the team would love to meet you and hear about your vision.
Travelling from further away? Consider staying a night or 2 to get a full picture of what Mohaka River Farm is about.
To arrange a viewing, click the button below and send through a few details, including when you’d like to visit, and we’ll make sure the right people are available to meet with you.
And follow us on Instagram for our latest updates!
FAQs
With our proximity to Napier and Taupo, it is a pleasant drive for invitees to come out for the event on the day. For wedding ceremonies, we recommend up to 100 people but could stretch to 120 if needed. As for those needing accommodation, our 8 units (which includes our newly built cottage and chalets) can lodge around 20 people depending on sleeping arrangements. Our spacious camping ground can cater up to another 80.
Tressa Wayman, born and raised in South Carolina but who had the good fortune to find her South Islander soulmate and husband of 30 years while they were both at university in Canterbury, has started a journal called Cultivating Joy where she shares her insightful and often funny tales from life here on Mohaka River Farm. Her latest article - "The Quilt" - is about a family tradition she bought with her from South Carolina to New Zealand; that of of quilt making to celebrate special occasions - like weddings. Tressa's writing is always fun and reflective and this article has lots of lovely photos of Tressa and her quilts, as well as other thoughts on the sacred institution of marriage itself. Click here for "The Quilt".
